


Becoming a Spy, and Other Life-Destroying Events

by battleaxe_bi



Series: The Founders [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 20:12:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17535458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battleaxe_bi/pseuds/battleaxe_bi
Summary: Aria Kathryn Arlington is a spy sent from the Founders to find one of the nation's top wanted teenagers..Leo Valdez. What she stumbles upon is something unprecedented, and will test her loyalties. Will she stay with the organization that promises her freedom, or will she protect thousands of "demigods"?





	1. Prologue

**_Name:_  **Aria Kathryn Arlington aka "Ace".  ** _Age:_  **17 years old.  ** _Birth date:_  **September 21, 1999.  ** _Occupation (PENDING):_  **Seeker. 

     

   I stared at the heading of the sheet given to me. He studied my expression as we sat in silence, which, as the tension grew, he decided to break. "It is to my understanding, Miss Arlington, that you have training that can be useful to us."

        I furrowed my brow. I didn't need to talk to this man. By all means, I shouldn't even be here right now. I was supposed to catch a plane with a one way ticket to the Heathrow Airport, in the United Kingdom. 

        "I know you're confused, but it's either this or facing federal prison being tried as an adult due to the nature of your charges," the man continued. 

        I glanced up at him, assessing him. He was wearing a crisp, black suit, a neatly pressed white button up shirt underneath. A Rolex watch was latched around his right wrist, I estimated with at least 15 Karats of gold. A cell phone clip adorned his belt, the newest addition of the iPhone snug safely inside. 

        I cleared my throat. "So what exactly does a Seeker do, anyway?"

        The man grinned so wide, that with the amount of Botox surgery he'd undergone, made it seem as though the skin barely fit around his skull. "You blend in with the target. Gain their trust. Then, when you think the timing is right, you call us in. We'll handle everything from there."

        "Will I get a gun? Or anything for self defense?" I asked.

        "Maybe," the man answered, "depends on how well you complete your training."

        "I thought you said I was already trained," I interjected, not liking where this was going.

        "Yes, however sometimes a situation can take more than what you can offer it," he answered. 

        "By situation, you mean person," I replied. 

        He sighed and rubbed his temples, the first sign of any human emotion under his suit and tie facade. "Yes, a situation can be a person. Or it can be another problem that appears while dealing with that person. As I am to understand, your anger levels can rise easily, and you are quite a begrudging person. This job requires control. and release," he explained. 

        I thought about his proposal. Federal prison on multiple charges with too much evidence against me to even try to plead not guilty, or...work in a private, government institution that tracks down suspects to crime just like me. Hm, let's think about this one.

        "When do I begin?"


	2. Chapter 1

        Later, the man introduced himself to me as Mr. Mack, and he was the head director of the Founders. The Founders were groups of the smartest and elite teenagers and young adults, ages fifteen to twenty-five. The Founders did what the government couldn't, including tracking down drug transporting chains, and those running from the government. 

        Mr. Mack took me out of the FBI holding cell around a day ago. From the FBI base, we flew to three different locations, and during the last flight, all the windows were bolted shut. Wherever the last destination was, he didn't want me knowing just yet. We touched down and the door opened to a grassy field, air temperature probably around seventy-three degrees Fahrenheit. There was a hut in the middle of the field and the second we were a safe distance away, the plane took back off. There was no escape from Mr. Mack and this ominous, little hut.

        "This is where the Founders work mainly," he said, gesturing towards the door of the hut.

        I rolled my eyes. "There's no way a whole institution fits in there. It doesn't make logical sense. Is this a test?"

        He just smiled and opened the door, revealing a cool, steel set of elevator doors. A soothing, yet inhuman voice chimed: "Fingerprint identification required." 

        A small, square panel opened up, and Mr. Mack placed his finger on a blue screen for recognition. The doors happily dinged, and swooshed open, and I followed him inside. There were several buttons on the side reading impossible numbers. There were about a hundred floors in all, the one currently lit was Floor 0. The rest were all numbered negatively. 

        "How is a negative floor even possible-" I started to ask when it felt like the floor dropped out from under me. 

        Mr. Mack laughed as I held on tightly to the metal bars around the elevator to avoid flying upwards and hitting the ceiling. "We go  _into_ the ground, not above it. It only made sense to make the numbers negative. Your residential level is Negative 17, due to your age. We like to keep all the same ages on the same floors. Commons level is Negative 26, right past the cut off age, twenty-five. Food is served in the Commons, so make sure you remember that."

        We reached the level he selected, the busy body Negative 1. People in lab coats, people dressed in all black, people in camouflage, people in suits, and people in regular clothes all milled about, going from assignment to assignment.

        Mr. Mack went into the first office I saw, with a plaque on the door I didn't have time to read, but as it turned out I didn't need to. I was in a seamstress's office by the look of all the fabrics and dummies with with swatches draped over them.

        An old woman who reminded me vaguely of the tea pot from Beauty and the Beast came out from behind a tall dummy. "Hello, Mr. Mack, what can I do for you?"

        "I have a new recruit and she will need new attire. One set of camouflage, one set of professional wear, two sets of pajamas, and ten sets of everyday wear to get her started. Oh, and three sets of training attire."

        The woman wrote all this down. "Okay, I will take her measurements now and if you could be so kind, Mr. Mack, as to wait in the hall..?"

        He took his cue and left, his heavy shadow outside the opaque glass. I turned my attention to the woman, who smiled at me warmly. "Hello, dear. My name is Miss Kimberly. I do all the sewing around here, which happens to be more than you would think. If you could just stand up on that platform and take off any baggy clothing that could change your measurements, that would be highly appreciated."

        I stepped up on the platform and tossed off my heavy winter coat, a 3XL, and my over-sized fleecy sweater so I was standing in a pair of skinny jeans, a tank top, and my boots. I didn't say a word and neither did she as she started to work. As she finished, she noticed my fingerless gloves still on. 

        "Would you like a new pair?" She asked, pointing to them.

        I evaluated the various tears and the places where they would tear soon. "If you can, yes. But I don't want to make your job harder."

        "Oh, no, it's my pleasure, dear!" Miss Kimberly said happily and took additional measurements for my hands. After she finished she called Mr. Mack back in. He thanked her quickly and we left her office. 

        "Your things should be ready in a matter of days. Until then, you will make due with what we can offer you in training," Mr. Mack said sternly, guiding me into the next office. This one was filled with weapons. Guns, bows and arrows, knifes, even swords.

        "I will see how well your accuracy is with the weapons that include throwing or shooting. I don't think you would be good with a sword, so you won't be receiving one of those," Mr. Mack explained briefly. 

        I walked up to the first rack of throwing knifes. I took each one in my hand and selected the most balanced one before turning to the targets. They weren't average targets, however, but were molded in the likelihood of a human being, targets on the head and chest. I breathed slowly in and out, trying to heighten old instinct. I threw the first knife, and it embedded itself in the lower left rib cage of the first dummy. I tried the knives five more times, each time too high or too low.

        Next, I tried the bows and arrows, feeling the tension in the bowstrings and the weights of the arrows. I finally picked my bow and a quiver before lining up with the target. Now the arrows were hitting too far left or right, but still close to the target. 

        Lastly, I approached the gun selection. I avoided the shot guns and longer guns and went straight for the hand guns.

        Mr. Mack nodded appreciatively. "I'm not surprised you went for those. My files say that you performed your last job with a hand gun."

        I ignored his comment and reached for a very nicely crafted hand gun with white bone. I aimed for the chest target first and made a clean, unwavering shot. A smooth hole that cut straight through the center of the chest remained. I put down the bone handled gun, and reached for a second. A sleek, black, matte hand gun, more modern than the last. I aimed again and focused on the head of the same dummy. Once again, the bullet made a quick entrance and exit from the center of the target. 

        "That will be all," Mr. Mack said. He tapped on his smart phone and a man in a lab coat walked in with three different gun holsters. The first was a cross back, fit for two guns. The other two were waist holsters, both also fitted for two hand guns. 

        The lab coat man left without a word and Mr. Mack handed me four sheets of paper. "Sign these and you'll have a concealed carry permit and a gun license for the two that you fired. I will provide you with ammunition."

        I signed and put on a waist holster, sliding both guns into their places. Mr. Mack led me out of the room and set the papers in my file. We walked back to the elevator and he pressed the button for Negative 17. My level. 

        I gripped the handle to my new gun as the doors dinged cheerfully open. I counted about four kids walking around. They were in all black, and stopped to stare at me. 

        "This is Aria Arlington. New recruit. Play nice," was all Mr. Mack said before going back in the elevator and stranding me with these strangers. As the kids approached me, I noticed their lean, yet muscular figures. It must come from training.

        A boy around six foot with biceps to make any normal fifteen year old swoon came up to me. "What did they call you?"

        "Aria, are you deaf?" I answered shortly. I don't know why, but this guy made me want to punch a wall.

        "I meant the people that were looking for you before you met Mack," he sneered. 

        I glared at him. "Ace."

        He made a slightly impressed face. "Well, you've got some history on you."

        I smiled. "If I didn't I wouldn't be here right now, would I? What about you? What did they call you?"

        He tensed up in his arms, like he was going to swing, then relaxed. "Justice. My name, though, is James."

        Apparently James' approval was all the others needed because after he told me his name, I got everyone else's name but they only used their "street name". There was Garnet, Arsyn, Luna, Cut-Throat, and Justice. And now me. 

        The others walked away but Arsyn stayed, prompting Garnet to hang close by, like a mother figure. "So, how are you? And don't worry about Justice, that's just the way he is."

        I looked at her. Her voice was surprisingly crystal clear, despite the smoke from the jobs she got her name from. She almost looked childish in an over-sized black leather jacket. "I don't know. Just got here, so I'm at the bottom. Don't like being picked on, I guess," I answered hesitantly. 

        Garnet walked up and put her arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, Ace. You have reasons and that's fine. Let's show you to your room."

        I was grateful that Garnet intercepted our conversation. I wasn't really the kind of "get deep" girl. Emotions should be bottled up, safely away. Garnet led me down a hall, painted a dull gray. A number six was engraved in glass on an oak door, which Garnet opened for me and I took a look inside my new room. 

        There was a twin bed, sheets and duvet colored black and a silvery gray. The walls followed suit, and were also painted gray with no paintings. A closet that would be filled soon was to the right of the door. A bathroom was on the left with a high tech shower, toilet, bath, and sink. A hairdryer was stowed under the sink on a tiny shelf. Black velvet curtains covered a bay window overlooking a tiny glowing aquarium. I didn't know what I expected, but definitely not this. I pulled away from the aquarium. "Kinda depressing here, isn't it?"

        Luna now joined Arsyn and Garnet in my room. Luna shrugged away my question. "They keep us so busy we don't really have time to think about our rooms. I'm just grateful for a hot shower and a comfortable bed at the end of the day."

        "And this is basically a training camp for bounty hunters. Nothing about tracking down killers is exactly happy," Arsyn interjected. 

        Garnet cleared her throat. "The trouble with decorating rooms is that one, something can get stolen which is a huge ordeal, or two, if you don't make it back, they have to completely redo the room for the next person."

        I froze. "Wait, did the former number six...die? Is that why they gave me the offer?"

        All the girls shifted around. Luna was the one who answered my question. "It was Cut-Throat's brother, Ender. They sent him on a mission, but when he came back...something was different. He stopped hanging out with everyone. Never came out of his room. He screamed in his sleep. Only let Cut-Throat touch him, or give him things. If anyone else did, he worked himself into a panic only narcotics could stop. Ender killed himself about two months ago."

        Garnet sniffed a bit, looking like she was holding back tears. "Hey, don't mention this to Cut-Throat. Not that we told you, or anything about Ender, for that matter. He got his name for a reason, and the only person who can talk him out of a plan now is Justice. You two aren't really on the best of terms."

        A bell rang and everyone seemed to perk up, as much as they could. Arsyn managed a wobbly smile. "That's the dinner bell, come on, you can sit with me." 

        I felt immediately grateful for the offer, I didn't want to sit alone on my first day at this place. "Thank you."

        Upon entering the Commons with all of Negative 17 in a single elevator, everyone spilled out and went their own way. Arsyn grabbed my arm and steered me towards the hot food line. 

        In all my years of high school and soup kitchens, I had never seen as good of a lunch line as this one. There were mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, roasted chicken, steaks, salad, cheesecake, fruit tart, fruit cups, beef stir fry, and more. I loaded my plate, I hadn't eaten all day, and Arsyn sat me down with Luna, Garnet and some other kids not from Negative 17. 

        We all introduced ourselves as we ate, and talked a little, the others filling in with news on their training, possible upcoming missions, and, of course, juicy gossip. You name it, these people talked about it. Things like Justice being gay all the way to Mack himself being a murderer. 

        Somehow, the conversation got to me. A boy with brown curly hair smiled at me. "So, how did Mack find you?"

        I shifted in my seat. I hadn't told anyone about this part yet. "Mack found me abandoned by my team. It was a job we all had some loose ends in, so we all pitched in to finish it for good. I was on my way out when I noticed the car was gone, so was everyone else. Police arrived. Eventually Mack showed up and took me away."

        A girl with blonde hair styled in an undercut leaned in. "What kind of loose ends? What kind of criminal are you?" 

        I flinched. I never considered myself like that. "Loose ends like some debt, there was some blackmail going on that I had to stop, people basically using me."

        "What about what you are wanted for?" Arsyn asked. 

        "I am wanted for manslaughter, forgery, fraud, and accidental manslaughter," I managed to get out. 

        The table quieted, and Luna tried to lighten the mood. "Sounds like you might have as many things on you as Justice!"

        Everyone laughed and the conversation turned back away from me. Arsyn brushed my hand when the debate over who's superior was cuter began, and raised her eyebrows.

        "You okay? I didn't mean to..." Arsyn seemed embarrassed. 

        "Yeah. It's just a little weird to talk about sometimes," I said and put on a smile. 

        She nodded and smiled back before returning to the conversation. My stomach turned into ice, and my beef stir fry didn't look appetizing anymore. I waited for everyone to finish up, then went with them to a huge garbage disposal unit to throw my food out and stack my tray with the rest. Another bell sounded and everyone said their goodbyes. 

        Arsyn led me back to our elevator's station and all of Negative 17 got back on and up. We all went into our separate room, but when I entered mine, Cut-Throat was sitting on the edge of my bed. 

        "Hey," I mumbled. I leaned up against the door frame. He looked up and over at me, and I noticed his eyes for the first time. One was brown, the other blue. 

        "Sorry. I forgot. I used to know the person who lived in this room," Cut-Throat whispered. 

        "Take your time," I said and went into the bathroom to wash my face. I heard Cut-Throat moving around the room, finally knocking on the open bathroom door.

        "I'm done. You know, you don't have to be nice to me about this. The faster I forget, the better." He bit out the words harshly. 

        "I know it's not my place to say, but sometimes forgetting isn't the best thing. Sometimes, it's better to remember," I said. 

        He looked like he wanted to kill me where I stood, then his posture sagged. "It's not that easy."

        "Is anything?"

        Cut-Throat had a shadow of a smile on his face before he left my room and shut the door. I changed out of my clothes and found an XL shirt I wore to bed. As it turned out, falling asleep hadn't been as hard as I thought, and I was out the second my head hit the pillow.


	3. Chapter 2

        The weeks that followed were filled to the brim with training. The day after I received training clothes and my pajamas, they put me to work. There were hostage simulations, accuracy shooting sessions, flexibility and strength tests, et cetera. It was four months before I was given my first assignment. 

        Mack called me into his office. "You've been doing well in your testing, and we want you to find someone for us." 

        He slid a picture across the desk. "This is your target. Name is Leo Valdez. Wanted for arson, matricide, among other minor charges. He killed his own mother in a fire he started. No family members want to take him in. He is considered highly dangerous."

        The boy in the picture looked about my age, with dark Latino skin and curly brown hair. His ears were pointed like an elf's, and his smile was less than inviting. "Where was he seen last? Does anyone know where he might be hiding out?"

        "We see him frequently in New York, near Long Island. Then, for summers at a time, he drops off the radar. No one sees him. Sometimes he can disappear for years. We can drop you off at a road he is commonly sighted on," Mack offered. 

        "Do I get a team or just me?" I asked. 

        "Solo mission. It'll be too suspicious if we assign a group to this target," Mack replied. 

        "When do I leave?" 

        "As soon as the car gets here. When it does, it'll drive you to an airport. You will get on the New York flight and there will be a car that'll drop you off at the mentioned road. I will give you supplies to last a couple nights. After that, you should have everything you need to find Valdez."

        I nodded and he dismissed me to prepare. When I arrived back at my room, Arysn was sitting on my bed. "So, when do you leave?"

        I sighed. "As soon as possible. A car is coming now to take me to the airport."

        Arsyn shifted. "Where are you going? Are you allowed to say?"

        I smiled. Arsyn had been my best friend since I came to the Founders. I couldn't keep it from her. "New York."

        She smiled back. "Say hi to the Empire State Building for me. I wish I was on your assignment." 

        I promised her I would try and bring back a souvenir, we hugged, and she left me to pack. I grabbed a hiking pack from my closet and folded in my training clothes, regular clothes, pajamas, and professional wear. Next, I packed all available ammunition and my holster. If this kid really killed his own mom, something tells me that I need to prepare for the worst. 

        My Founders enlisted iPhone dinged, and I figured the car must be here. I slung my stuff over my shoulder and went to leave when I saw Justice in the door. I stopped. "What do you want?"

        Justice huffed. "I just came to wish you luck, but by all means, I'll take it back."

        "No, it's fine," I stuttered, "I just didn't think you cared. If anything, I thought you'd be happy."

        He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "You're a Seeker, like me. I guess, I don't know, I'm attached. Just..don't die on me out there, okay?"

        I let a small smile slip through. "Thanks, Justice. I'll try my best to avoid death."

        He rolled his eyes and we had an awkward moment if we should hug or not, then deciding we should. In this field, we never knew how or if we'd come back. I said goodbye to all of Negative 17, waving as the elevator doors slid shut. 

* * *

        The flight was long, and the car ride was short. The person I sat next to on the plane didn't say anything to me, which was appreciated, considering I put in earbuds the second I was seated. The driver who picked me up didn't say anything, not his name, nor did he ask what I was doing with all this camping equipment. I assumed he also works exclusively with the Founders and didn't need to know. 

        We finally came to a stop at a country road who's last trip was from a manure truck. I got out of the car, slung my hiking pack on my back, and started into the woods. If Valdez was seen going down the road, but never seen at the exits, he has to be hiding in the forests. The trees began very dense and crowded together, like a wall someone didn't want me passing through. Eventually, it weeded itself down to one or two every four feet. I came to a clearing and searched for broken branches or signs of recklessness. Nothing. The place was as clean as a whistle. 

        I kept walking and became aware of a slight hissing noise. I looked at my feet for snakes, and around me on the tree branches. Everything was fine, no snakes anywhere. But the hissing wasn't going away. I dismissed it as the wind rustling through the trees or something and kept walking. Then I saw the Tree.

        Now, I didn't see the whole tree. I don't think it was possible. It was extremely tall, twelve to fourteen feet. I would've thought it was a fake Christmas tree, except for the radiating scent of pine. It was insanely lush, the kind of lush that comes from years of careful gardening. 

        This had to be close to where he was hiding. Why he took care of a tree, I don't know or care. I just wanted to get him and go. I started walking closer to the tree, the hissing grew louder. I could now understand this couldn't be the wind, because the wind had stopped blowing. The hissing was following a steady rate that even if wind had been blowing, it could not mimic. Whatever it was, it needed to be taken out. I don't need distractions. 

        I had made it nearly to the tree when I noticed the sun starting to dip into the horizon. I looked at my watch, panicked I'd spent nearly a full day in travel and mucking around the woods. I was dropped off at one, and I checked my watch again, the LED screen flashed 5:43 pm. I groaned and began to set up camp. 

        I stared out at the stars, watching the tree's branches dance in front of the moon. I found the Big Dipper, Orion and his belt, and the North Star. I was hit with a memory. 

         _"Okay, sweetie, now look at the sky.." Dad said. I followed his instructions and looked up into the big, black sky, dotted with white stars._

_"Now I want you to look where I point so I can tell you how to get home, in case you get lost," he continued. My eyes followed his pointed finger up to the brightest star in the sky._

_"That's called the North Star. It's always to the north. So if you ever get lost, follow the North Star. Or you could just stick with your old man and keep me around when you go camping," Dad laughed. I laughed too, and we kept watching the night sky._

        I shuddered back to reality, and forced my stinging eyes shut. That wasn't relevant anymore. Dad was gone. The faster I get that clear, the better I'll be. I can't allow myself to keep getting sentimental about this stuff. I need to focus. I kept my eyes closed and relaxed my body. I fell into a deep sleep, and as per usual, didn't have a single dream. Just black.

* * *

        I woke up the next morning, the hissing still there. Whatever it was, it was determined to stay. I rolled up my sleeping bag and pulled down the flexible sheet of plastic I put up in case of rain last night. I lifted the pack back on my shoulders, located the tree, and began to march. Just like yesterday, the hissing grew louder the closer I got to the tree. I knew I was getting closer because the hissing was starting to sound more like a waterfall and less like a slashed tire. I rounded a smaller pine tree and saw it. 

        It almost looked like a giant lizard, with coppery skin that glinted in the sun. It, whatever "it" was, was the source of the hissing noise. It was, to be exact, the sound of it's breathing. I couldn't tell if it could sense me and had half a mind to just shoot it, when I saw a glittering golden fleece waving in the branches. I stepped closer to examine it, and that was a big mistake. 

        The thing opened it's eyes and the slit pupils focused on me, a low growl resonating in it's throat. All the training in the Founders program could not prepare me for the attack of what seemed to be a dragon. It roared, a very terrifying sound, that echoed all around me. Wait. Echoed? 

        This must be a hill, and there should be a valley below, which is probably where Valdez is hiding. I made an attempt to move forward again, assuming the dragon was trained to guard the fleece, and I saw the dragon realize a choice. Seeing a giant lizard have the mental capacity of a human was horrific to say the least. But it recognized it's choice. Stop me from going down the hill, or protect the fleece. It moved towards me. 

        I guess it's true what they say about the stages of death. You eventually start to barter, try to talk yourself out of the situation. And that's exactly what I started to do. I looked that giant lizard in the eyes and mustered all the love I could into my voice. 

        "Hey there, buddy. I'm just doing orders. You know orders, right? You don't want to hurt me, do you? No, you don't want to hurt me," I coaxed. The creature seemed confused at my attempts. He growled again, though this one seemed more like he was contemplating my words. 

        I tried again. "Come on, buddy. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to get past the tree. Please, I'm being honest. Just let me past the tree. I don't want to hurt you." 

        Now I knew I offended the dragon. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the pine tree. He got into a defensive position and let out another roar. I heard a bustling of people, and by the looks of it, they weren't around me, which meant they were coming from behind the hill. I figured I had ten minutes to run. 

        And, like any sane person, I did. I ran until I found the tree I slept under and scaled it about fifteen feet before resting. I gripped one of my guns in my hand and checked to see it was fully loaded before I heard the voices. 

        A strong male voice, calling out names in teams. Search teams, for an intruder, AKA me. Several voices called out, presumably the captains, and I heard most shuffling away from me. I could see them perfectly from my vantage point. But there were three groups that advanced towards me. The two on the sides moved farther out until there was just one threatening to blow my cover. 

        One blonde haired boy, holding an awkward looking quiver, a small black haired boy, and a boy with a shaggy mop of brown hair. They were talking in hushed tones as they got closer. 

        "...that you can heal people, but can you actually  _use_ that quiver?" The brown haired boy asked the blonde haired one. 

        Blondie seemed to take offense to that. "Of course I can! Do you want to be my new target, Connor?" 

        The black haired boy sighed. "Will, relax. We're on a search mission. If you keep fighting, they'll run before we can get close."

        Connor, apparently angry to have to do any of this in the first place, huffed. "Look, it might have been an accident. Peleus has been acting up all the time recently. Remember last week when he almost killed you, Neeks?"

        The black haired boy (Neeks?) looked pretty pissed about that name. "My name is Nico, Connor. If you call me Neeks one more time, I will put you in the ground."

        Connor smirked. "Say your name a little louder for the monster, why don't you?" 

        Nico looked like he was going to complete his threat when Will intercepted him. "Chill. It might not be a monster. It could be a potential camper."

        The conversation stopped after that, and the trio stopped right under my tree. "Looks like whatever we're looking for, spent some time here," Nico said, pointing to the messed up earth where my sleeping bag had been. I leveled my gun at Nico's head. I didn't want to kill him, but if he exposed me, I'd have to kill them all anyway. 

        "I wish Leo was here," Connor complained loudly, "He made this cool new tracker thingy." 

        Will shot him a dirty look. "Can you find him? Oh, wait, he isn't who we're looking for! We're looking for a camper who might be terrified. If we bring in Leo with all his fire stuff, as much as I like the guy, he could scare them off."

        I bit my lip. If they were talking about Leo as in Valdez, I could complete my mission. I clenched my fist and condemned myself. "Hey, up here! Took you long enough!"

        All their heads jerked up, and Will saw my gun first. He took aim and fired his first arrow. A last minute shot, but still headed for me. Time seemed to slow down. I grabbed the arrow from the line of fire. 

        "How..?" Will started to ask. I scaled down the tree and handed him his arrow. 

        "Next time, steady your shoulder, you were shaky," I advised. They took in the black training clothes, the biker gloves. Connor was the next to notice the guns. 

        "Guys, she's loaded," he muttered. 

        It was probably inappropriate but after all I'd been through, I had to laugh. "Trust me, Connor. I wouldn't shoot you unless you deserved it. You seem innocent to me right now."

        Nico frowned. "Not innocent of stealing my jacket or hard-wiring cars, though."

        I regarded Connor in a different light. "You can hard-wire?"

        He shrugged. Will pulled himself out of his stupor. "We need to bring you back to Chiron. He'll decide from there."

        I pulled away from him. "Sorry, but nope. Not until you tell me who you are and who you work for." 

        Will looked confused. "Who we work for?"

        "You know, who you work for, train for, study for. I am not seeing your Chiron without knowing what I'm getting into."

        The boys exchanged looks. Nico stepped forward. "We train with Camp Half-Blood. It's the only place we can be safe. And I would tell you what a half-blood is and all, but it's a little draining and you don't want this news from a fifteen year old."

        "I'm seventeen. Two year difference," I argued. Will stifled a laugh, as if Nico wasn't actually younger than me. I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Take me to Chiron. But I swear to God, if you try and act like you found me, I will shoot you. And my aim," I turned to Will, "is perfect."


	4. Chapter 3

        The three boys lugged me back to the giant tree, where the copper dragon glared at me skeptically. "Asshole," I muttered under my breath. Upon looking to the dragon's left, I saw something slightly weirder. A centaur. 

        "Wait just a minute," I said and pulled the group back. "What is that thing? It can't be what I think it is."

        Will followed my nod over to the odd man-horse thingy. He beamed. "Oh, that's Chiron! Our activities director!" He said this with such enthusiasm, I wasn't sure he understood the picture. 

        "Okay, but he has the bottom half of a horse," I said slowly and deliberately, like talking to a stubborn child. 

        "Yes, that's called a centaur," Will replied, mocking my tone.

        "I swear to God,-" I started but Will cut me off. 

        "Chiron! This was the, uh, disruption," Will announced, earning some funny looks. The centaur looked pleased as our group drew near. 

        Chiron looked me over and I shifted uncomfortably in front of the creature. Something didn't sit well with me about this place, Chiron, for that matter, should not even exist. Maybe I shouldn't have made my arrival known to the "campers"...

        The director interrupted my thoughts. "What is your name? How old are you?"

        I winced at his sharp tone. "Aria Arlington. Friends call me Ace. I'm seventeen."

        Another group overheard me as they drew nearer. A boy with dark skin, sea green eyes, and mussed black hair looked pretty pissed. The blonde haired boy with bright blue eyes looked more concerned. "She's seventeen? I swear, I'm trying to put up all these altars and shrines to everyone, how could I miss one? There is no way she is unclaimed," Blondie interjected.

        I rolled my eyes. "What does that even mean, 'unclaimed'? And what was that about gods? Is this some kind of cult?"

        Chiron looked worried now. "It is highly unusual that this would happen.." He trailed off and his eyes fogged over. 

        "So what now? Do we take her in? Does the Hermes cabin have to take her in?" Connor asked, a hint of annoyance to his voice. 

        "We'll discuss this once we are back on camp grounds. I'll signal for the other teams to join us here," Chiron said harshly. He reached around his chest and pulled up to his mouth what I think was a cornucopia. He blew in one end, and a deep, loud sound came out the other, not unlike a foghorn. 

        Within about ten to fifteen minutes, all the teams had reassembled around Chiron. I fingered my gun gently, reassuring myself there was a way out of every situation. Will grabbed my upper arm and led me down the hill and my eyes stopped working. 

        There was no other explanation for the lava wall. A volleyball court with humans and half human-goat hybrids playing against each other. A stable with winged horses trotting around it and taking off into the sky. A big, blue house with peeling paint and unstable shutters stood as proud as a war veteran. Over a hundred cabins stretched out over a field, wing after wing. 

        "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Aria," Nico muttered as all the teams dispersed back among the campsite. None of this even seemed possible, not without authorities getting involved. Well, now they were now that I was here. It even looked like they were going to weaponize and training the kids with swords and bows and arrows. 

        Chiron and my retrieval group (if you can call it that), moved down to the big, blue house. There was a man lounging on the deck there, in an outrageously loud leopard print shirt with purple parachute pants and a matching pair of Nike's. His ruddy cheeks and bright red nose reminded me of the big guys at the bar who never knew when to stop drinking. 

        "Who's the drunk?" I asked Will softly.

        "That's the camp director, Mr. D. Be nice. He gets offended very easily," Will advised me. 

        Upon arrival, Mr. D huffed then sighed the air through his nose. "Oh, goodie. Another decrepit camper we can send off to die."

        I felt oddly offended of this stranger's opinion of me. He didn't even know me, and I didn't know him, yet he felt the right to judge me? "Decrepit? How dare-"

        Mr. D suddenly glared at me with a new fire in his eyes. Eyes that were once rimmed with red, now blazed brightly, showing me scenes from what seemed to be horror movies before they cut the scenes that were too much for even the R-rated viewers. Will graciously interrupts me again, taking the attention to himself. "I'm sorry, Mr. D. She didn't mean to challenge your opinion. She was the one who alarmed Peleus earlier."

        Mr. D leaned back, pleased with Will's apology. His ample belly pushed against the buttons of his shirt. "I see. And what exactly is the little intruder's name?"

        I bit my tongue to keep from replying sarcastically. "I'm Aria Arlington. It's a pleasure to meet you."

        He laughed. "It's hardly a pleasure to anyone, but thank you for your effort," he turned to Chiron, "Is she claimed yet?"

        Chiron shook his head. "She is, however, seventeen. The gods' promise has been broken and if she is not claimed tonight, there could be serious repercussions."

        Mr. D nodded as if that was some deep, metaphorical statement. "So, shall someone fire up the introductory movie?"

        A nearby goat-human hybrid jumped up hastily. "Oh, I will, I will, Master Dionysus!"

        He disappeared into the house, and I viewed Mr. D with new interest. "Dionysus? Ironic, that's the name of a Greek god. One who is in almost everyone's business, just like his father."

        Everyone gasped, but it didn't throw Mr. D at all. He seemed almost entertained at my jab. "Anna, is it," I shook my head but he continued, "I am that exact god. And while I agree heartily with your statement about my father, it does not apply to me, not at all."

        I crossed my arms. "You can't be a god, that's not possible."

        Mr. D laced his fingers together and leaned back. "Why isn't that possible, Alya?"

        "Because gods aren't real. All that stuff is just myths and stories. None of it is real, and if you think it is, you might want to have your head checked out," I retort. 

        "Well, get me a doctor because it's true. I am a god, whether you wish to acknowledge it or not. However, you will respect me while you are in  _my_ camp, are we clear?" Mr. D bit out the words, and I had a feeling that this horrible, pudgy man could kill me if I didn't agree. 

        "Yes, sir," I muttered. 

        The half goat man popped his head out of the screen door. "My lord? The video is all set up, whenever you are ready to release her." 

        Mr. D settled back into his ruddy, less agitated state. "Go in now, before I kick you back out to Peleus for his lunch break." 

* * *

        After the film, which basically told me I was the child of a god (nope) and was a very special little snowflake, I walked out of the room, almost expecting someone to be waiting outside. No one was there, so I decided to do a little research to see how crazy these people were. I found a room that must have been the infirmary, by the amount of bandages and various creams left around the room. Observing in my position just outside the door, many of the injured sported long cuts probably from other campers' swords or weaponry. I walked away after a few moments and noticed a rickety staircase. 

        I started walking up when I felt something unravel in the pit of my stomach. Something I did very hard to keep bottled up. It was anxiety, and not like stage fright. This was cold-sweat-inducing, muscle-tensing, black out anxiety. I clench my fists and lock my eyes on the attic door. I got to the door, eventually, with a chilling sweat running down my palms. I turned the knob slowly, a sensation of dread falling over me. I shook my head, opened the door and ran inside. There was no need to be afraid, or at least that's what I kept telling myself. 

        Then I saw the inside of the attic. 

        Pickled animal parts, severed from their original hosts were cluttered around in mason jars. Armor dented, scorched, slashed, or marked with acid lay around the floor. Trophies, dusty and untouched. 

        And then there was the most disturbing thing of all: a mummified girl. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming or vomiting. She, or it, sat on a chair with multiple strands of beaded necklaces, wearing a tie dye dress. Why would they have this up here? What kind of camp was this?

        I felt something grab my arm, and I yanked my gun out and aimed. A girl with bright red luminescent curls stared at me. 

        "What are you doing here?" We both asked simultaneously. 

        The girl huffed. "I'm the Oracle. I was coming to get something."

        "Like what? A pickled claw?" I demanded, my arm holding the gun unwavering. 

        "What exactly are you doing up here?" The girl retorted angrily. 

        "I finished the orientation film and decided to have a look around. Didn't expect to find a mummy, though," I explained and nodded my head towards the leathery creature. 

        The girl's expression softened. "You're new? I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm Rachel Dare, I tell the prophecies around here."

        I stared at her. "I'm Aria. You can call me Ace. What does that mean, prophecies?"

        Rachel frowned. "Didn't you see the whole film? I tell the things that send people off on their quests. You know, spirit of the Oracle, slayer of the Python, messenger of Apollo."

        I lowered my gun. "Right. Yeah. I guess I must have zoned out during that part, sorry."

        Rachel smiled, and she didn't strike me as malicious or murderous at all. "Let's get out of here. It gets a little creepy after a while, you know?"

        I followed her down the steps and we said our goodbyes as we parted ways on the porch. I turned to face Mr. D and Chiron, who were playing a very intense game of cards. 

        In between turns, Mr. D grunted out, "Well, seeing as you still haven't been claimed, I guess you should start moving in with the Hermes cabin."

        Chiron got up, realizing that was his cue. "I'll escort you there. A tour of the camp seems to be in order."

        I grabbed all my stuff from the porch and followed Chiron. He showed me around, going over details of the lava wall, the games in the volleyball court, the sing-a-longs that took place in the amphitheater, food in the pavilion, basketball courts, and various training centers before taking me to the main wing of the cabins. 

        "These twelve cabins represent each of the gods that reside on Mount Olympus and on it's council. Do not enter a cabin that is not your's, until you are claimed," he advised, a gentle hand resting briefly on my shoulder.  

        I nodded and we walked, well, he trotted and I walked, until we reached what looked like a regular cabin. It was painted a rustic brown with a giant caduceus above the door. Chiron knocked on the door and Connor, or at least he looked like Connor, opened the door. 

        "New camper?" He asked, and that's when I knew it couldn't be Connor, because Connor could not give a shit. Guess he had a twin, or an evil clone.

        "Travis, this is Aria. Unclaimed," Chiron explained while Travis let out a groan. Connor came to stand by the door, and the differences were slightly more noticeable. Travis was shorter, and his hair was a little more curly than Connor's.

        "Wait, is she seriously still unclaimed? She has to room with us?" Connor asked, his annoyance thinly veiled behind his words. 

        "Rooming with you isn't exactly a trip to paradise for me, either, Connor," I bit back and Travis looked at me with surprise. 

        "Finally, someone who gets how I feel about Connor!" Travis exclaims and laughs. His laugh was tense, I figured he was just trying to break the tension, and unfortunately, failed.

        Chiron frowned, nodded, then turned to me. "Tomorrow we'll have you fitted for armor and weaponry."

        "She doesn't need a sword or anything," Connor scoffed, "She has two guns, Chiron."

        I glared at him as Chiron bowed his head and trotted away from the cabin. Travis welcomed me while it was clear Connor would rather torture me. 

        "So, what's your story? Which parent did you live with? And how'd you get such high class models of those guns?" Travis asked me. 

        "My name's Aria Arlington. People used to call me Ace, so I guess it's okay if you do, too. I don't have any parents. I went into the system and got put with a physical trainer. We never really got that father-daughter bond, so we just stuck with teacher-student thing. He helped me hone my natural instincts and reflexes. He trained me in martial arts, and as I got older, he introduced some weapons. He was really into collecting swords from ancient cultures. We worked with swords, then knifes, then cross bows and such," I explained.

        Travis leaned back. "Whoa there, killer. No one's going to mess around with you, we got it. Why do you think we would?"

        I laughed tartly. "Honestly, I did graduate high school. I know some things about mythology. Your dad, for example, is the god of thieves. I have a feeling you two are proud to live up to that expectation."

        Connor held a hand over his chest, mocking offense. "You hurt us! What do you even think we'd steal from you? You're new, you're nothing valuable and  _have_ nothing valuable."

        My jaw tensed and everything in me screamed to attack. Then, just like a light switch, it all turned off, and my heart grew numb again. "I know you don't like me. I know you're not looking forward to sharing your camp with me. Just do me a common courtesy and leave me alone, okay?"

        The cabin was silent as I found a bunk in the back and did a quick inventory check. I wasn't here to make friends or braid hair. I was on a mission and I cannot stray from my target. 


	5. Chapter 4

        I woke the next morning to a hard rapping on the wood of my bunk. My eyes shot open and the guilty knocker stood above me, Travis. 

        "Sorry," Travis started, "but the camp day starts early, so get up Sleeping Beauty."

        I glare at his back as he walks away and get out of bed. I grab my change of clothes and head to the girls' changing area. I pull off my black tee shirt and jeans, still a little musty from my pine tree expedition. I glance through my bag when I feel a poke in my back. 

        When I turn around, a girl with curly, brown hair shrinks away. A pang of guilt floods my chest as she tries to lift herself back up. "If you want, I have a camp tee shirt that looks your size. Only if you want it, though, you don't have to take it."

        She holds out her arm, and in her hand is a bright orange tee shirt. I thank her, and slip it on. Orange was never really my color, but that wasn't her fault. By the looks of it, all the camper's shirts were the same bright orange. "I'm Aria," I said suddenly. "But you can call me Ace. If you want."

        The girl smiles wide, and I notice her elvish ears as she pushes her hair back. "I'm Lydia. It's nice to meet you, Ace. 

        Lydia continues changing, as do I. I found a pair of black denim shorts towards the bottom, stylishly ripped, as per my request to Miss Kimberly at the Founders. I put them on, followed by socks, and walk out of the changing room. I feel slightly naked without my combat boots on, but chose to wear a faithful pair of black Chucks instead. 

        The whole cabin lines up at the doorway. I noticed Lydia was towards the front of the line, while I was directed towards the back. Seniority must rule here, I figured, as the cabin marched out onto the green. 

        As far as I could tell, we were making our way towards the pavilion, which seemed like the best option. I hadn't had food since last night at dinner, and all I could choke down then were some grapes and water. 

        We all sat down at the same table, and the same thing from last night happened again. Platters of eggs in all its many forms, bacon, sausage, tofu bacon, pancakes, waffles, crepes, and various cereals whisked around, serving all the campers. I glanced at my empty glass. It filled with water from an unseen spout. I frowned, and Lydia sat down next to me. 

        "What is it? Is it cloudy water? I swear, someone needs to let Percy know the system needs checked.." Lydia started, but I cut her off.

       "No, no, it's not cloudy. It's just, I was kinda hoping for something a tad stronger?" I explained. 

        Lydia smirked and I figured she understood exactly what I'd meant. "Sorry, Ace. No alcoholic beverages allowed in camp. Strict orders from Zeus. You can blame Mr. D for that one. Hey, maybe you're _his_ kid!"

        I gaped at her. "God, um, gods, I hope not."

        She laughed and helped herself to six waffles from a passing plate, shifting two over to me. "I get it. Come on, you have to eat, though. I saw you eat, what, like three grapes last night? You have to do something, or else you're going to drop dead. 

        I sighed and smeared one packet of organic butter on my waffle and began to dig in. I finished my plate quickly and with more dignity than many of my cabin mates. Most of them treated this as if they hadn't eaten in years, and stuffed their faces as they chortled and joked. 

        Chiron stood up, and made some announcements for a game called Capture the Flag. The new rule stated that dueling partners were forbidden for using fart arrows, Greek fire, or other unsportsmanlike trick. There was also a new rule about cabins, no two people should be left alone in a cabin, same gender or not. 

        Lydia leaned across the table. "That's because of Will and Nico."

        I frowned. "The guys who found me? What would they have to do with that?"

        She giggled and looked around before leaning in closer and lowering her voice. "They're super into each other, if you get where I'm going. Percy was visiting and wanted to check in on Nico and caught them making out."

        I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from giggling. "Are you serious?"

        She nodded and we both burst into laughter. It felt like something loosened in my chest, and I realized the last time I laughed was around Arsyn. The reminder of her immediately sobers me up.  _Call us. We'll take it from there._ The words bounced around my head, my last orders from Mack. 

        I rolled my shoulders back, and looked back to Lydia, her eyebrows knit with concern. "Are you..?"

        I smiled. "Fine. But I do have a question about a boy, if you could help me, I would be in debt to you."

        She grinned. "Ooh, I've only known you for a quarter of a day, and we're already talking about boys. Okay. What's his name? Do you have a name?"

        I tried to act like a flustered teenager, which I was, six months prior to being a part of the Founders. "Leo Valdez. You know him?"

        Lydia's smile turned wicked. "Know him? He's worked with the Hermes cabin bunches of times. He's over at Cabin Nine's table. He's the head counselor there. Extremely flighty, though. He has a girlfriend, too, Calypso. She doesn't eat with the rest of us, she stays in some secret bunker of Cabin Nine's..."

        Lydia trails off and I sneak one look behind me. I see familiar curly, brown hair, and a flash of bright brown eyes filled with intensity. Leo Valdez. His charges flashed in front of my eyes. Manslaughter. Arson. Matricide. Highly dangerous. 

        I feel Lydia grab my arm and I jerk forward. "Hey, don't go making puppy dog eyes at him. He's a little too much, even for you. If Connor can upset you, Leo would have several broken bones by the time you exchanged names. Trust me."

        My phone burned in my pocket. I should call Mack immediately. Tell him that the target is located. No, wait. I need to get close to him, not romantically, obviously. Breakfast was over by the time I ran through plan possibilities. Garnet was always the best planner, you have to be if you plot gem heists. 

        As all the cabins marched back out to follow their schedules, Connor and Travis stopped me. "We need to get your armor fit and some new ammunition for your guns. Maybe test out any other weapons."

        I sighed. "Cool. Great. Let's move."

        Now that I located my target, I just wanted to complete my mission as soon as possible. Travis and Connor were not going to stand in my way, even if it meant I did have to spend some small amount of time with them. 

        They took me first to a shed not unlike the one that housed the Founders. It was small, the wood was splintering off, and it looked like it would cave within itself. Travis turned to me. "Go in, pick up some ammo, then meet us back out here. Oh, and maybe pick up a knife or something? That's it."

        I almost laughed when I saw the miserable shed, I doubted if it could withstand my opening of the door. I grabbed the knob anyway and turned it. I heard the clicks of a spring then a heavier  _CLACK._ I swung open the door and took three steps back, as a bucket of what appeared to be mud, beetles, and worms spilled over where I had been standing. 

        I glared back at Travis and Connor, who tried not to meet my glance. I did snag Connor's gaze, though, and I saw something I didn't know if I should be proud of or not. It was remorse. Remorse that he did the prank, or remorse he didn't take time to perfect it, I wasn't sure. I just gave one last death glare and stepped over the muddy mess.

        Once inside, I feel back at home. The inside is shiny with chrome, just like the Founders. Hooks surrounded me with weaponry hanging off of them. I mused around the racks, picking up the bronze bullets from the ammunition section and made my way to the knifes and swords. Nothing drew me at all. 

        "Hey, what do I do if I don't find anything else?" I called out to the boys. 

        Surprisingly, it was Connor who came inside after me, leaving Travis outside. "I don't know, hasn't happened before. Are you sure there's nothing? Chiron wants you to have something for dueling, and you can't do that with a gun."

        "Nope. Nothing popping out," I shrugged.

        He sighed. "Then just pick up blades and find the most balanced one and go with that."

        I grabbed the nearest one, wanting only slightly to chuck it at his head and I almost did. It was way too light, and I put it back gently. It went on like that for a while, one being too heavy, the other too light. One felt right in one hand, but not right in my dominant. I could tell Connor was getting sick of waiting around for me. 

        "Just pick one, Jesus!" Connor shouted in exasperation. 

        I glared at him. "You told me to find a balanced blade. It's not my fault if your little shed doesn't have anything, is it?"

        "It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be okay!" He bit back. 

        I grabbed the sword next it line and swung it at his chest. "Wow! This one seems okay! Would you like me to continue the motion?"

        "Oh, so now you decide to kill me?" Connor sneered.

        Something odd occurred to me, something I did not like to think. Something about his face? Or was it his lips? I nearly gagged and shoved the thought out of my head. After a moment of silence, I finally said, "Maybe. Unless you prove useful."

        I lowered the blade and tested it out. Balanced in my left hand, ten inches, and not with an ounce a rust collected on it. "What? Okay, you're being weird, what's up with the sword?"

        I shrugged and swished the sword between us. "Does it have any history that you know of?"

        Connor shrugged back and took a step forward. I instinctively took a step back. He frowned and took another step forward. I only shifted backwards slightly now. He gave me a look along the lines of: "Are you kidding me right now?", then took another step towards me. I stayed rooted this time. 

        He gently took the blade from my hands and inspected it. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he seemed to take it very seriously. Then, he swung it at my chest.

        I did not react as I felt the cool tip press against my chest. I painted my face as calm as I could. He looked a little surprised and disturbed. "You know, that was supposed to be a lesson on never giving up your weapon in battle, but you're not as surprised and it's starting to freak me out."

        He handed it back to me. "It's name is Mystikó , it just came from Camp Jupiter, our Roman counterpart. It means secret. No wonder you're so attracted to it, you never tell anyone anything."

        I bit back a remark as I examined the blade. "Any previous owners?"

        "Dunno," Connor said, "All I know is the name, and where it came from. Only because Leo likes fancy Roman gold, says it'll work for a prank later."

        "Okay, then," I replied, making the note about Leo, "Do I have anything to hang it from, or anything to help carry it?"

        Connor shrugged yet again. "I think Reyna said this one did something similar to Percy's..."

        He trailed off and pressed hard on the hilt of the knife. I heard a tiny click and the blade contracted itself into a tiny lipstick capsule. When it was uncapped, it grew to a blade again. 

        "Nice," Connor dragged out the word as I placed the capsule form of the blade in my pocket. 

        "I think so," I said, "Where to next?"

        "Off to armor fitting, because you're gonna need it," Connor said, leading the way out of the shed and standing next to Travis. They walked around before stopping in front of a building with quite a lot of fire blazing out of it. If Leo Valdez had a paradise, this would be it. 

        "After you," Travis said, and swept his arm in front of him. 

        "After last time? No. If you go in first, and are still alive, I'll consider following," I retorted. 

        Travis sighed and knocked on the door. It was around three seconds before the door opened, and speak of the Devil, Leo Valdez stood grinning in the doorway. 

        He wore the same grin that was in the photo Mack had shown me. "Is this the newbie? Ready for a fit?"

        Connor started beaming and they all did some odd, bro handshake that just made me really uncomfortable to witness before Valdez turned to me. "Nyssa will be out in a second. We have this rule, guys don't fit girls and girls don't fit guys. Last time that happened, well..." He trailed off and they all started laughing. 

        "Wow, is this a golf outing or an armor fitting, I can't tell," I said harshly. 

        "Sorry," Leo said, collecting himself. "It's an inside joke. My name's Leo, by the way, what's your's?"

        I sighed and tried not to let my disgust for him show. "Aria Arlington," I introduced myself, holding out my hand. He shook it, and grease rubbed off on me. 

        Leo's eyes narrowed. "Arlington..That name sounds super familiar, and I'm not good with names. Wait- weren't you that kid that was in that acci-"

        Before he could finish his sentence, a burly girl with a red bandanna around her head showed up. "Sorry I'm late. A malfunction with the Invisible Shield. You Aria?"

        "Are you Nyssa?" I asked. 

        She smiled and nodded. Nyssa looked very intimidating, no doubt, but the smile made me feel more secure. "Right this way," she said and led me away from the guys. 

        We walked around the armory for a while before we came to a door with the letters " **N.D.** " plated on it. She unlocked it with a fingerprint scan and held the door open for me. Inside, there were metal creations lining the walls and hanging off the ceiling. 

        I eyed them cautiously. "Wow. You get a lot of requests or just creativity?"

        She moved behind her workman's desk. "A bit of both. Though right now, I'm currently in a dry spell. Nothing seems to be quite ingenious enough, and not that many people come looking for me. I guess because Leo's back. He's cabin head, and pretty great with a tool belt."

        I fingered what looked like a trash can with legs. "So, do you not like him being back? Or what's going on there?"

        Nyssa now had stacks of helmets and armor on her desk. "No, I'm happy he's back. It's just that he always comes back when he's in trouble or thinks he's being tailed. And that's not good for anyone."

        I nodded and we started the fitting. Nyssa carefully moved the subject off Leo and onto me. Where I came from, do I have family back home, have I been claimed yet, if I didn't then who do I think is my parent, how am I dealing with Hermes cabin, et cetera. I got fitted for a helmet, shield, and basic body armor in about fifteen minutes. 

        Nyssa returned me back to the boys, who were exactly where we left them, talking about some kind of "epic" prank. Nyssa smiled at me once more, waved, and left. 

        "Alright, Valdez, keep us updated on the project, will ya? Thanks, see you," Connor called over his shoulder as we walked away. 

        A silence fell over Connor, Travis, and I as we walked back to the Hermes cabin. And it was very, very awkward. Not like it was intentional, but after all we've been through, it's a little hard to make conversation. 

        "So, Aria, where exactly did you come from?" Travis asked in attempt to end the silence. 

        "I lived in California for a while. Then Canada. Back to California. But most recently, Maine. Why do you ask?" I reply. 

        Travis shrugged. "Just curious. Why did you travel around so much?"

        I rolled my shoulders back. "I didn't get much of a choice. Where my adopted dad went, I went. He lived in California. Took his three year sabbatical in Canada. Then he got sick of fresh air, mountains, and sunshine and moved to the tourist trap of Maine, only toured in summer by people who love lobster."

        Connor nodded. "Okay, why Canada though? Don't most people have midlife crises in the Bahamas or Mexico?"

        "I don't know, Killian was sick of California's everything, I suppose," I answered. It was all a lie, of course. I didn't go to Canada or Maine or California because of family, I went because I had to. 

        "You're trainer had a mid-life crisis and thought of Canada? Most men go for Russian models, fancy cars, you know," Travis said. 

        I could see the cabin, so close, yet so far. "Yeah, well, Killian was a little different. He gave me my first firearm when I was thirteen. He didn't really have much of a sense for normal."

        "So, was your home life weird, besides the fact that your dad was a physical trainer obsessed with swords?" Connor asked. 

        I yanked open the cabin door. "Look, I appreciate all the questions and the trying to get to know me, it's sweet, really. But I'm kind of sick of talking about home. Thanks for taking me around, though," I said and walked over to my bunk.

        Connor looked almost honestly hurt that I decided to cut his game of Twenty Questions short. "Okay, well, the next class is sword practice in the arena. That starts in around fifteen minutes, so that gives us fifteen minutes of free time."

        I pulled my backpack out from under the bunk onto the bed. "Well, you go knock yourselves out with a prank. I'll be here."

        Travis shook his head and laughed. "Who said we were leaving? If Chiron catches us messing around, we'll be sent back to Latin class. Trust me, nothing is more painful than a lecture in Latin."

        I laughed in return. "Couldn't be worse than Russian," I commented and pulled out a book. 

        Connor and Travis plopped down on my bed. "You know Russian? Where did you learn that?" Connor asked. 

        "Wouldn't you like to know," I murmured, scanning the book's pages. 

        Travis put a hand on the top of the book's spine and lowered it. "Yes, we would. Dude, that's so cool! Do you know any other languages?"

        I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, French, and a little bit of Romanian."

        Both of their mouth's dropped open. Connor spoke first, "You're like the freaking Black Widow, what the hell?"

        I shrugged. "I had a lot of free time on my hands. Killian trained a lot of different people. I had to learn to keep myself on the same page as everyone else."

        Travis grinned. "Say 'hell yeah' in Russian. Wait, no, no...in Dutch."

        I bit back a smile. "Jazeker."

        The brothers said this back and forth for a little while until Connor started coughing and Travis begun snorting. "Well, aren't you two enchanting when you hear a new language," I remarked and pulled my book back up. How long did they say? Fifteen minutes?

        They managed to collect themselves with blushed cheeks and tears in their eyes. Connor seemed to have a sudden revelation. "Wait, so if you know all these languages, can you talk about other people right in front of them?"

        "If I don't use their name and they don't speak the language, then yeah, I can," I replied. 

        Travis couldn't get the grin off his face. "How old did you say you were again? It seems almost impossible for someone as young as you to know so much about other languages."

        "I'm seventeen. I wanted to know as much as I could, to be prepared," I said, a small wave of anxiety hitting my chest.

        Connor stopped smiling. "Prepare for what?"

        "Nothing," I said quietly, then, "Where are the bathrooms?"

        Travis stood up. "I'll show you. They're just beyond the first wing, but things can get confusing with so many campers."

        So, Travis walked me out to the bathrooms in silence, and when we got there, he positioned himself outside the girl's room's door.

        I glared at him. "Any reason why I can't be left in peace?"

        He shrugged. "Like I said, it's a big camp. I don't want you getting lost."

        "I don't think that'll be a problem," I snapped back. 

        He took a few steps back. "Aria's back, everyone," he muttered, "The bathroom is all your's."

        Then, he turned around and walked back to the Hermes cabin. I looked around then ducked into the girl's bathroom. I checked under every stall and in every corner. Once I was convinced no one was there, I locked the main door.

        I pulled out my cell phone and hit the last phone call I made. "Mack? It's Ace. I've got news."


	6. Chapter Five

        Mack grunted on the other end of the line. "Have you found Valdez?"

        I bit the inside of my cheek. "Yeah, but things here are a little difficult."

        "How difficult?" Mack asked harshly. 

        "It's weird," I started,"it's like this whole summer camp and all the kids seem to think their parents are Greek gods. Anyway, it's too big of a site to call you guys in on. I found out minor information, he has a girlfriend, he's a camp leader, and he knows someone is tailing him. What do I do now?"

        Mack sighed. "Well, I would suggest you become friends with him. When he decides to leave camp again, ask him to take you with him. Once you two get somewhere secluded, that's when you'll call us in."

        I nodded, only realizing that he couldn't see the gesture. "Okay, boss. Bye."

        Mack caught me before I hung up. "Oh, wait, Ace."

        I stopped. He went on, "Try not to get involved with anyone there. I'll have you know most of these kids are highly dangerous or insane. And I've sent out people who get too attached to their cases, and when we have to come in, things get ugly."

        "Ugly like what happened with Ender?" I couldn't help the words from escaping my mouth. 

        Mack's breathing took a hitch. "Don't you dare act like you knew anything about Ender. This conversation is over."

        The line went dead and I looked into the mirrors at my reflection. Mack was like an uncle to me, the only kind of real family I had left. I didn't like the fact that I upset him, and I had no clue why I said what I did. In all my time at the Founders, all I knew about Ender was what Garnet and Arsyn told me my first day. I had no place to ask Mack about it at all.

        I took a couple deep breaths before unlocking and pulling open the main door. Connor was standing right outside the door, I mean,  _right_ outside the door. He took a couple steps back to regain his balance and tried not to look guilty. 

        It was another awkward silence after that. Connor tried talking first. "I'm sorry," he started, then asked, "Who's Ender?"

        I bit the inside of my bottom lip hard enough for the metallic taste of blood to cover my tongue. Cut-Throat's face flashed across my eyes. "You should be sorry. I don't want to talk about it."

        Connor nodded and walked back with me to the cabin. No one talked when we got back in and for once, I wished for the white walls of the Founders. Somewhere that had walls with no marks, no signs of life. Somewhere away from everyone who tried to care. Because at the end of the day, no one cares about you unless you have some kind of use for them.                

* * *

        Sword practice was pretty basic, and maybe below that bar from what I've been taught. Chiron brought in that kid, Percy, to train us. Apparently, he was the best swordsman this camp had seen since a kid named Luke. Percy seemed like he could be cool, he was in his twenties, but he kept making this horrible jokes.

        "All right, everybody, I'm gonna pair you up in groups of two, so you can't pick your friend to duel against," Percy instructed loudly and started pointing at random people to begin the process. It didn't matter if you were sitting together or not, he didn't seem to have a pattern at all.

        He pointed both the Stolls together, and now that I was new, there was an odd number of campers. He came sauntering towards me.

        "Okay, so I'm guessing you're new? You weren't here last week anyway," Percy said and stuck out his hand. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. We sort of met before when we were looking for you in the woods outside."

        I nodded and shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Aria. Let me guess, new girl goes with you?"

        He grinned. "Yep! And I'm gonna apologize now, because I don't go easy, no matter who you are."

        I smiled back. "Good. Only if you went easy on me would I be offended."

        He readied his blade and lunged. I blocked easily and he took a few steps closer. His blade was shorter than mine, I had saw that earlier, and Mack's instructions blared in my ear:  _Shorter blade, get in closer. Longer blade, distance._

        I kept the distance between us by stepping back and every time I avoided a strike. He played offensive most often, only switching to defensive tactics a few times. I saw him frown, and felt him putting a little more force behind his attack. This wasn't my first challenge, and I wasn't going to let him get the best of me. 

        He made another strike, and I caught his blade halfway and twisted it toward the ground. His wrist twitched before the sword clattered to the ground. He looked at the sword, back at me, and frowned again. "Did you say if you'd been claimed or not?"

        I sighed and shook my head. "Not yet."

        He nodded thoughtfully and picked up his sword. "You're a good fighter. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a child of the twelve gods of Olympus."

        By now, all the other sparring partners had stopped. Percy allowed the class to grab a drink of water before showing a new technique. Throughout the rest of the lesson, he only worked with me and made sure he was pushing me as hard as he could. 

        The other classes came as a bore to me. Each one wasn't any different from anything else I had done in my training, and each teacher informed me with a frown on their face how good I was doing. As if they almost wanted me to be struggling more. 

        By the time Mr. D announced that the camp bonfire was to commence, I was happy for a change. These kids trained hard, nothing that shook me, but if I was a truly new kid, it would've exhausted me. Every cabin sat with their cabin mates as the Apollo cabin led the sing-a-long. I don't sing, it isn't my thing, so I just hummed along under my breath. It's not like I couldn't sing, I can, I just don't like to. The fire was enchanted, according to Travis and Connor, and the louder and more spirited you sang, the higher and brighter the flames grew. So, of course, the proceeded in trying to make me sing as loud as I could. And, as usual, I ignored them. 

        Just as everyone was settling down and the Apollo kids started strumming out a nice ballad, something shifted in the air. A heavy fog began rolling in from the shore line and the tree line where the dragon lay. All the Apollo kids stared at their instruments, all the melodies and harmonies now in minor keys. A new melody, which I instantly recognized, sprang up slowly and deliberately, no matter how quick the kids tried to play. I sat up straight and the Stolls looked at me.

        "Do you know this song?" Connor asked.        

        My lips twitched and my chest constricted. I began looking around, assuming this was some elaborate prank. There's no other way. Maybe Leo figured out who I am and is trying to scare me away from the camp. My throat tightened as the fog drew closer to me, and I clapped a hand over my mouth. Whatever trick this was, it wasn't funny. It began to thicken around me and I felt like I was moving, but I couldn't see anything. A sudden gust of air blew me higher, but I still couldn't see anything, the mist funneling around me like a tornado. 

        Finally, it all cleared away. I was floating. 

        In midair.

        No support system.

        And of all things, I was in a black Greek chiton, with the skirt swishing around slowly in a breeze I couldn't feel. The others all were bowed below me, Chiron included. He looked concerned, and so did the Stolls, though their look was more of disbelief. A bright purple light blazed above my head, bathing the mist in color. A symbol, a new moon, floated above me.

        "All hail, Aria Arlington," Chiron announced, "Daughter of Hecate."

        I wanted to tell them that there was no way. This was their world, not mine. I couldn't be the daughter of a goddess, goddesses aren't real. Maybe the mist drugged me, or the food. Because this cannot be really happening. 

        As I floated gently down from the sky, a girl with brown hair containing bright purple streaks walked up to receive me. "Pleasure to have you. My name's Lou Ellen, head of the Hecate cabin."

        I nodded numbly and followed her back to where Hecate's "children" were sitting. It was quite a way from the Stolls, and none of my former cabin mates looked over at me. 

        I turned to Lou Ellen as we sat. "One, how long does the dress thing last? And two, why is everyone staring at me?"

        She shrugged. "Dress, you can take off and keep. Mom is a little intense, but knows comfort limits. The staring, however, is a little uncomfortable to talk about in front of the camp. Maybe later, okay?"

        The fire finished less than gracefully and the cabins were dismissed. Lou Ellen tapped my shoulder. "I'm coming with you to pick up your stuff from Hermes' cabin. Hopefully it's all there," she joked. 

        We walked with many conversations, her being the main one talking.

        "So," she asked first, "do you want the purple streaks?"

        I looked at her, alarmed. "Why would I want them?"

        She shrugged. "A lot of Hecate kids have them. It's kind of cliche, it's just because Mom's colors are black and purple. Plus, they look kind of badass. Not that you need any more of that," she added quickly.

        I sighed. Guess I was one of them until my day with my target came. "Sure. But just one, behind my ear."

        "Great! So, where are you from?"

        "Maine," I answered. 

        "I used to live in Georgia, but I live here now year round. My dad can't really handle me being around. Too much like Mom, I attract some bad vibes." 

        And it went on like this, me giving her the least amount of information and her giving me  _all_ information possible. Finally, we reach the Hermes' cabin. I barely touch the door when Connor swings it open. 

        "Hey," he said coolly, as if I just came for him. 

        "Hey, Connor," Lou Ellen cut in, "We're just here for Aria's stuff, okay?"

        His hands went up in defense. "I knew there was something similar between you two. You both always think I have a second agenda!"

        I rolled my eyes. "Because most of the time, you do."       

        Connor turned to me with a hurt expression. "Aw, come on. And I thought we were going to be friends!"

        I laughed sourly and grabbed my bags. "Well, it's been nice staying with you, but I have to go."

        Lydia came over and shook my hand. "Just because your mom is magic doesn't mean you're all that, remember that. I could probably still take you down in a fight, you know," she leaned in and then whispered to me, "And if you ever need anyone to talk to or gossip with, I'm here for you."

        I smiled at her, a true smile, and Lou Ellen and I left the cabin. Lou Ellen resumed her rapid fire way of talking while I just nodded or shook my head at the appropriate times. I wasn't here to get close to really anyone, and definitely not to meet my new family. I needed to get close to Valdez, get him isolated, then get him to Mack.

        "Is it common for Hecate kids to have criminal records?" I asked her.

        She paused. "Sometimes. Most of us are runaways, or if a mortal sees us with our weapons, they'll see it as a machine gun or something then you're screwed. Mortals see only what they can take in, physically. They weren't made to understand the levels of magic like we are. So, their minds make up stories to understand what they saw. They make us into felons and monsters. If only they knew we were protecting  _them_ from the real monsters."

        We get to the cabin and I throw my stuff on a bunk in the back as Lou Ellen grabs my shoulders and steers me toward one of the few beauty tables with a mirror attached to it. "Someone is getting a streak!" She called over her shoulder to the other kids. 

        All of them laughed or cheered as she pulled out hair dye, latex gloves, a dish, and a brush out from a drawer. "Alright, do you just want the one? On which side? How bright?"

        I took a few seconds to comprehend the words before responding. "Um, yeah, just one. Left side. Not too bright, I guess, but noticeable."

        She nodded, slid her hands into the gloves, and pinned my hair up, leaving out the one strand. "This may get messy, but trust me, it's gonna look great!"

        As Lou Ellen styled my hair, I tried digging up more dirt on my target. The other Hecate kids didn't seem interested, some snapping their fingers to imaginary beats, others reciting poems to each other. None of them seemed to have much contact with the other cabins, all of them giving answers way too vague for my mission.

        "So, you train all summer, then what? Is there a party? Do you ever relax? Do you go home?" I asked a group of kids next to me.

        "We  _don't_ have parties, you're right! We oughtta have a party! That's a good idea, we'll run that by Chiron in the morning. As far as going home, some stay year round, some stay just for the summer, it's up to them," a petite Asian girl with dark purple lipstick said breezily. 

        "Just curious, Leo Valdez? Is he a year rounder?" I asked cautiously. 

        "Leo is special. He doesn't like to stay in one place too long, but Camp Half-Blood is a haven for him," the girl murmured softly. 

        "Kids like him? On the run, you mean?" I whispered back.

        "Wow, you know your stuff. Yeah, he's got some stuff on him out there in the big, bad world, but it's Leo. If he can't talk you out of giving some kind of punishment, he'll invent something that will serve it for him."

        I was beginning to wonder if Leo had a sort of Napoleon Syndrome, being small and not muscular leading to an overcompensation in personality.

        "....don't like him, do you? Because he's totally taken," Lou Ellen's voice drifted back into my conscience. 

        "Oh, no," I said quickly, "Hell to the no. The moment hell freezes over will be the moment that I like Leo Valdez."

        "Damn, girl, what'd he do, burn your house down?" A Filipino boy smirked.

        "Not funny, Neil! Especially after what happened with his mother," Lou Ellen interjected. Neil didn't seem bothered and went back to looking at a map of the constellations above his bed. Leo's charges flashed once more through my mind. He was wanted for arson, and for matricide. He surely couldn't be twisted enough to...

        My thoughts were interrupted, yet again, by Lou Ellen. She peeled the aluminum foil off my hair and rinsing it off with a bottle of water, letting the dye hit the towel on the floor. She shrieked with delight and I pulled my head away from the water stream to look in the mirror. A semi-new me stared back, now featuring a dark purple streak running down right behind my ear. 

        Lou Ellen beamed at me. "You look great! Now let's get some sleep or else I'm gonna be a part of the living dead tomorrow morning."


	7. Chapter 6

        Next morning was just as boring as the last. At least when I was with the Founders, they changed things around, challenged us. When I mentioned my discontent once, the other Hecate kids just shrugged and said, "Wait for Friday". As far as I was concerned, Friday didn't matter. Leo Valdez was my target and I was nowhere closer to isolating him for Mack.         

        At one point in training, I thought Percy had figured something out. We had just learned a "new" maneuver that I had seen done previously at the Founders, and I did it perfectly first try. 

        "How come you're so good? Is it...a parent thing?" Percy asked in between strikes. 

        "I guess," I huffed back. "Killian was a weapons trainer. Maybe that made it second nature."

        His eyes narrowed. "You don't call him your dad?"

        I struck back a little harder than necessary. "Adopted dad. Never asked me to. Why does it matter?"

        Percy's sword clattered to the ground. "Well, I mean, my mom got remarried twice after my dad left. I know it's not like your situation, but I try to call Paul 'Dad' around home."

        "You're right," I gritted my teeth, "it's not like my situation. Can we stop the family talk? You aren't my psychologist."

        Percy frowned as he picked up his sword. "Just because I don't have a degree doesn't mean I'm not here for you." His hand reached for my arm. "We're a family here, Aria. You can count on us."

        I shook his hand off. "I....appreciate the gesture. I'm just not one to open up...to anyone."

        Class ended roughly after that and my cabin went to the beach to help sand some more canoes down, I suppose. Most of the tasks like that were mundane, learning Latin, or cleaning out the pegasus stables. The only fun activity I've done yet is climbing the lava wall, but apparently whatever happens Friday night will top it. 

        When I arrived at shore, another cabin was already there. Hermes. I could tell by the two shaggy-haired idiots bickering with my cabin head. I approached the conversation to see if I could catch wind of the issue.

        ".....here first!" Connor snapped at Lou Ellen.

        "That's fine and dandy, but we're here now, so you shouldn't be!" Lou Ellen shouted back. 

        The centaur, Chiron, trotted towards us, scattering the sand under his hooves. "What seems to be the problem?"

        Everyone started to talk and yell at the same time, all trying to say basically, we both can't work here. Chiron held up one palm and the cabins hushed. 

        "I should explain. We are increasing in size, everyday, as you know," Chiron began. "We need more groups and the ability to work in teams! If it is too much for you, perhaps doing kitchen duty together will make you see the light."

        Even I knew kitchen duty around here would be hell. The two cabins stayed quiet. Chiron clapped his hands twice. "Now that that has been settled, back to work!"

        As he cantered away, the groups split up and I went over to one of the canoes closest to the water.  _Would Mack be able to have a water front assault? Would he have to bring them in through the air? Would there be casualties? This camp seems like it would put up too much of a fight if one of their leaders were to be abducted..._

"Wake up, or you'll sand right through the side," a familiar voice taunted. 

        I rolled my eyes automatically. "Thanks for your input, Connor, but I didn't really ask for it."

        Connor sat down on the other side of the canoe and picked up a piece of sandpaper. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

        "Helping. Didn't know that was against your moral code," Connor replied.

        I tried to relax my already tensed shoulders. "I accept help when I need it. I think I can sand a canoe without the world falling apart."

        "Right, right. Well, maybe I wanted to chat with you," Connor suggested.

        I huffed out a breath. "And why would you want to chat with me? Don't you know me at all?"

        Connor pretended to sigh dreamily. "Ah, there's that beautiful charm. And, no, I don't know you. No one really does."

        "Is that what this is about, then?" I demanded. "Did Percy set you up to this?"

        "No! No, uh, no. Percy had nothing to do with this," Connor stammered. 

        "Then why are you so interested?" I pressed. I couldn't get close to anyone, Mack made that crystal clear. One slip up and I'd be done for.

        "Gods, I am trying  _so hard_ to be nice right now, and you aren't trying at all-"

        "I don't owe you anything, and I certainly don't need to be polite!" I interrupted. 

        "There! You did it again! Just. Let. Me. Talk. For a little while without interrupting or being annoyed. Just listen." Connor almost sounded like he was begging. 

        "Okay," I said carefully, "you have until this class is over."

        "Thank you. As I was saying, no one really knows you. You gave a little backstory with your adoptive dad, but come on. That can't be you. And I know there's more to you than this soldier bit you're putting on. I'm not the most serious or emotional guy out there but you're on a whole other level of strictly business. So, what's up with that?"

        I sighed through my nose. I would have to make this as emotional as possible to get him and everyone else off my case. "I-I'm sorry. Killian, he didn't really treat me like a daughter. He wanted a kid, he just wasn't your classic father figure. He handled me like I was a brand new weapon he was trying to understand. I was trained to be stoic at a young age. To him, it was easier to manage a body than a person. I don't really have many other stories because I was never truly alone. Killian monitored me, never left me out of his sight."

        "Wow," Connor gave a low whistle. "But didn't you arrive to camp all alone? You had that camping pack too, did Killian let you go out on your own, or did you run...?"

        I had totally forgotten about my discovery. "Ran away," I said quickly. "He was in New York, this country side, hunting with his buddies. He had taken me, obviously, and I saw my opportunity and took it. I'm surprised he hasn't found me yet. Let's just say he has enough available intel, it shouldn't be hard."

        Connor suddenly grinned. "You're rich?"

        I shrugged. "He's a physical and weapons trainer. You think that comes at a low cost?"

        He looked impressed. "Did you ever have any friends, then? With him being all psycho?"

        I shook my head. "I had a few acquaintances, but none that I considered close enough to be friends. I'm not really the approachable type."

        "Well, imagine that!" Connor laughed. "I'm sorry, not laughing at your situation, it's just...that's a bit of an understatement, saying that you're not approachable."

        "What can I say? I'm kinda messed up," I smiled weakly.  _God, this is the worst._

        "You  _were_ messed up? You still  _are_ messed up!" Connor smirked. 

        I reached into the Sound, grabbed a handful of algae, and slung it at Connor. It hit him with a wet, sloppy,  _SPLOCK!_ on his face. His face turned from disbelief to utter excitement. "Oh, it's on, Ace."

        The use of my nickname threw me off long enough for him to run into the water and snatch a handful of seaweed. "Don't even think about it," I yelled at him.

        The slimy, greenish gray gunk hit me full on and I declared battle. At this point, many of the others stopped sanding and had also begun little algae/seaweed fights among themselves. 

        "Welcome to the war, Ace!" Connor laughed from his position knee deep in the water. I saw his hand scoop down and I ran in to get more ammo. 

        We both resurrected with hands full. We circled around each other, waiting for one person to make the first move. He smirked. 

        "What?" I asked, watching his arms for any movements. 

        "Nothing...You're just more fun when you let go," Connor said and threw his seaweed at me. I gasped and ducked, feeling the breeze of the disgusting projectile on my back. 

        "How dare you call me fun," I jokingly shouted back, and threw mine at his torso. Unfortunately, my aim with algae is a little worse than my aim with a gun. The clump hit him right in the family jewels and he crumpled into the water. I splashed over to where he was kneeling, water up to his chin, his face contorted with pain.

        "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad. It was just alg-" Before I could complete my sentence, he punched me behind the knee, sending me tumbling underwater next to him. I resurfaced, rubbed the water from my eyes, and heard him cackling with glee. 

        I hit him in the arm and he scoffed. "What? What's the harm of a little water? I thought we were having fun."

        I was about to protest when I realized, it  _was_ fun. For a moment, I felt like a teenager again. And it helped that he was way more compliant when he was having fun. I let out a laugh. "Okay, you caught me. I was having fun."

        "See? Isn't it so much easier if you just let go?" Connor smirked at me.

        I sighed and splashed him with water. "Right, like getting you to talk to me was so hard in the first place."

        His face glowed red for a minute and I was afraid I touched a hot topic, but he quickly reassembled himself with his trademark cocky grin. "I don't know, Ace. Maybe you just found yourself naturally attracted to me," Connor said in a funny voice. 

        "Right, yeah, totally got me all figured out," I scoffed and stood up, ringing out my hair and my shirt. Connor followed suit and we trudged back to dry land. As we got closer, we saw Chiron talking to the cabin heads. In Connor's case, Travis was taking all the flack.

        "I am glad you are having fun, but we have jobs for a reason," Chiron was saying. 

        Lou Ellen looked annoyed. "It was harmless fun! Since when is sanding canoes a life or death situation?"

        The challenge lingered in the air, tension crackling. Chiron's lips pressed into a firm line. "I will not punish you for this. However, you will report to all of your activities and return from said activities with no issues, do I make myself clear?"

        Connor and Travis gulped audibly. "Crystal clear, sir."

        Chiron gave a small, short nod before walking away from us, leaving a heavy dark silence in between the two cabins. We tried to clean up the beach as best we could, and for some Hecate kids, it was easy because they could swish their fingers and make scum disappear. Most of us, however, had to trudge around with arms full of goop. After the damage was mostly cleared away, we went our separate ways. 

        Next for the Hecate cabin was something called Bending. I almost laughed out loud. There was no way we were going to be doing some Avatar bending here. This place is weird enough without the added "magic". The whole cabin followed Lou Ellen into the forest. I swore I saw a tiny girl lurking behind a bush, but when I looked again, she was gone. Then, we came to a clearing. A small pond glistened in the middle, and a roaring fire in a copper bowl was set up on the left side of the clearing. Lou Ellen took a few steps forward and the earth jutted out in front of her, like a podium stand.  _What kind of drugs are the feeling these kids_ , I thought as my head tried to wrap around the situation. 

        "Hey, guys! So today we're just going to be working with your natural elements; fire, water, earth, and air. If you have questions, feel free to ask. You have the entire class to work," Lou Ellen announced. She stepped down from the podium and it dissolved like it hadn't been there at all. The kids casually walked over to certain parts of the clearing, shaping water, fire, and earth, then making it disappear with a snap of their fingers. 

        I walked up to Lou Ellen. "Look, I know I'm new and all, but I've never been able to do any of this stuff, so I think I'm just gonna sit this one out."

        "Hey, don't stress about it! Some people don't find their natural calling until way later. It's all about trial and error. Let's get you started with water," she said breezily.

        I stared at her, wondering if she heard me at all. She lead me to the pond and spread her hands. A single thread of water wiggled upwards, split into three strands, and braided together. She took her hand away and the water was no longer there. She turned to me, expectantly. 

        I held out my hands the same way she did and concentrated.  _God, I must be crazy, thinking I can bend water like I'm on some cartoon show._ No water rose, and nothing exciting or amazing happened. I turned back to Lou Ellen and shrugged.  

        "Guess that's not your thing," Lou Ellen shrugged back, "but don't worry, we'll find it. Everyone has one."

        "Has one what?" I asked. 

        "A natural element," she said without hesitation. "Something from the natural world that is easy for you to manipulate."

        We moved towards the earth kid cult. I watched some of them and their body placement, tried again to resurrect something, and again, nothing happened. 

        She had begun to frown. "Those are the two most common. I mean, you could be fire or air, but those are still pretty rare. Or a Mist, but that takes forever to manage, trust me."

        Now we were by the air kids. I knew this wasn't for me. I hardly tried. I hate not being connected to something physical, it's not logical or right. As I predicted, nothing happened.

        Finally, we stopped by the fire kids. They all looked very intense, and not very willing to help me. Part of me wondered if any of them had known Arsyn prior to her Founder's life. I shook the thought free as I tried to summon the flames into some semblance of anything. 

        Nothing happened. I groaned with annoyance. "Nothing is happening. I'm telling you, it's just not in my blood!"

        Lou Ellen's lips were now tightly pressed together, her face very similar to how Chiron's looked earlier. "Well, you still could be a Mist. But those never come through. Hardly ever, I guess. You see, we all bend the Mist here, but we focus it on elements. Being someone who can manipulate the Mist to do anything, they can be very dangerous."

        "Okay, well, how do I know if I can do that?" I asked pointedly. 

        "Come with me," she instructed and grabbed me by the wrist. Suddenly, the clearing melted away. Replacing it was a hospital corridor. I panicked for a moment.  _Was this all in my head? Was I poisoned earlier in my mission? Have I been hallucinating the whole thing?_

Lou Ellen popped her head out of a patient's door. "Oh, there you are. It's always difficult to come in pairs."

        I took a step back. "Are you real? Or am I hallucinating? And where did we come?"

        She laughed as if we were discussing something as frivolous as tennis lessons. "Of course I'm real. And we just traveled into a Mist creation of my own. We're in a hospital, now you have to find the way out."

        Just like that, she disappeared in a flash. 

        I stomped my foot indignantly. "Figure a way out? What the hell? How am I supposed to..."

        I trailed off and took in my surroundings. I began to notice things, small things. Like every thirteen seconds, the same nurse would enter a patient's room and never exit, only to be looped around by the same nurse. The coffee pot boiling in the lounge always stayed at the same amount, despite the continuous flow.

        Something was wrong, something was way off about this place. I ran up to the nearest nurse's station. "Could you help me find the nearest exit? It seems to me that I'm lost."

        The nurse looked up and her face warped into Lou Ellen's. I stumbled back in surprise. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Aria. I mean it. I won't help you. You have to help yourself."

        I watched as the nurse turned back towards her blank computer screen, typing away as if she was actually working. I ran down the stairs and looked for a directory. Every hospital had one, whether it was just a sign directing you to a certain wing, or a fully lighted map of the hospital. I heard concrete cracking and a little kiosk burst up from the ground, and the concrete resealed itself. I moved to it quickly, recognizing the little symbols and searching for an exit. As I got closer, I noticed another Lou Ellen nurse. 

        "I'm glad you made it this far. A little unconventional, but hey, I don't like following the rules much either," she laughed and strolled away. I shook my head clear and analyzed the map. A bright golden star marked where I was as I scanned for an exit. Four possible escape routes popped up, in the four cardinal directions. I took the north most way, keeping my right hand on the wall in case I got lost. 

        The stench of death lingers stronger in some places than in others, and I wondered if Lou Ellen had done that purposefully to try and scare me. It wasn't my first time witnessing death, but it did surprise me that she had such a dark side. 

        I see two double doors with a bright light shining from the other side. I sprint through them and for a moment, all I see is white. Then the hospital snaps right back into view, with me at the help desk again. 

        "Oh, so close! So, so close! But you didn't feel it, Aria. You have to get in touch with your emotions when you bend. If you can't, you won't be able to get out of here or bend anything ever," Nurse Lou Ellen advised. 

        Get in touch with my emotions? No, thanks. I would much rather wonder this hospital forever looking for an exit. As I stalked through the halls, I noticed more stupid little things. Painting, voices, sentences, screens, patients, and faces all began to repeat themselves. I sagged down on a bench.  _I'm going to die here,_ I thought.  _I won't ever finish this mission, and Leo Valdez will continue to be a menace, and Mack. Mack will be so disappointed in me. I promised Justice I'd come back in one piece, so much for that._ The thought of Justice shocked me. I wasn't in love with the guy, but I couldn't let level seventeen witness another death. 

        I pulled myself up from the bench. "Fine, you want emotions?" I shouted to nobody. "I'll dig up some emotions."

        As I walked down the hallways, making random turns and opening doors, I thought about level seventeen. I thought about Cut-Throat's brother, Ender. I thought about Arsyn. I thought about Mack. I thought about my life at the Founders, and the second chance they'd given me there. 

        Soon, I came to another set of double doors, much like the last ones. I pushed onto them and saw a flash of my father's face-

        The light faded away and I fell to the mossy earth.

        Wait. 

        Mossy earth. 

        I looked up excitedly, and all the Hecate kids were around me. Lou Ellen was grinning. "Congrats, sister, you're a Mist bender."

        And with that, I passed out.


End file.
